Mr. Speaker, I have been clear in the past and I will repeat. When the current aircraft come to the end of their useful lives, we will ensure that our men and women in uniform have the best equipment necessary to do the important job we ask of them.

However, a contract for replacement aircraft has not as yet been signed.

Mr. Speaker, for over 18 months the Conservatives characterized their support for the F-35 as a crusade as “holy and decent”. That is their words, not ours. We have had our own words for this obsession. Although likely unparliamentary, our words appear to be a more accurate description as yesterday the Conservatives admitted to backing out of this crusade.

Now that the religious fervour for the F-35 has subsided, will the minister finally do the right thing and put this contract out to tender?

Mr. Speaker, stating comments by the member opposite does not make them true. The member opposite criticizes but demonstrates very little knowledge about the intricacies of this particular program. Yesterday he expressed surprise that we had not signed a contract, saying it was astounding.

Canada has been involved in this project since 1997. We are not backing out. We are being careful about spending taxpayers' money, making sure we do the absolute right thing for our men and women in the military, as well as for all Canadians.

Voter suppression, ineligible voters, allegations of secret Conservative bank accounts in Vaughan, when will the Prime Minister do what 80% of Canadians are demanding and call for a public inquiry or royal commission?

According to Statistics Canada's latest report, only 54% of young Canadians have a job. That is the worst number in over 10 years. It is worse than at any point during the recession. A generation of Canadians is being left behind with no job experience and no hope.

Will the minister admit that Canada faces a youth jobs crisis, and will he put a real jobs plan for young Canadians in his budget?

Diane FinleyConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Mr. Speaker, we want to help young Canadians get jobs. That is why we expanded the Canada summer jobs program, so that they can get the experience and skills they need for full-time jobs.

Beyond that, we have invested unprecedented amounts in training, in skills, in infrastructure in the colleges and universities, so that students can get the training, the education and the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Right across the country there are labour and skills shortages. We are trying to prepare our young people to fill those jobs.

Mr. Speaker, for 18 months now, the Liberals have been telling the Minister of National Defence that there must be a tendering process to replace the CF-18. But the minister insists that the F-35 is the only aircraft capable of doing the job. We are talking about tens of billions of dollars here.

The minister likes to spring to his feet 10 seconds before the end of the question in order to give the impression that he knows his files. I am asking him to spring to his feet today and tell us that the F-35 is the only aircraft capable of replacing the CF-18.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals initiated Canada's involvement in the joint strike fighter program in 1997, and in so doing committed over $100 million to get things started. Now they are turning their backs on the program. They have cold feet and they are flip-flopping. We are not. We remain committed to making sure our men and women in the military have the absolutely right tools to do their jobs and do so for the good of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, this government has no use for common sense. We need only think of its bill on sentencing.

However, the government may be in for some little surprises, and some big ones. Quebec refuses to budge. It will continue to focus on the rehabilitation of young offenders rather than on repression. Rehabilitation works. Quebec has had one of the lowest youth crime rates in North America for 25 years.

Rob NicholsonConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear. There is absolutely nothing in the act that would require Quebec to change anything about its rehabilitation program with regard to young offenders.

That being said, the bill goes after those individuals who are trafficking in drugs, and those individuals who sexually exploit children, who are into child pornography. Everybody has a stake in fighting that.

Mr. Speaker, that is not at all what the Quebec justice minister was suggesting yesterday. He had to hold a press conference to explain how Quebec was going to distance itself from Bill C-10.

The government's repressive model is particularly harmful to aboriginal offenders, who are already overrepresented in our prisons. For example, in the prairie provinces, aboriginal people make up almost 60% of the prison population.

In 1999, the Supreme Court recognized the principle of restorative justice and the need for rehabilitation services. So why does this government want to divert the funding dedicated to the rehabilitation of aboriginal offenders? Why does it want to put even more pressure on—

Robert GoguenConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. minister said, there is absolutely nothing in Bill C-10 that would prevent Quebec from adapting its rehabilitation system however it likes. In fact, some initial guidelines have been given to the courts to protect the public. A balance must be struck between rehabilitation and protecting the public in order to protect Canadians and Quebeckers.

Mr. Speaker, I was speaking French and he still did not understand. I was talking about the aboriginal population, which makes up nearly 60% of the prison population in the prairie provinces. As for Quebec, I understood the minister's response, although it does not make sense in terms of the facts.

Let us talk about the astronomical costs associated with his prison program. It is scary. Bill C-10 will cost Quebec and Ontario $1 billion each over five years. There will be fewer police officers on our streets and more criminals out of prison without proper preparation. Who is going to pay for all that? Taxpayers will, even though they are already being squeezed. How can the Conservatives justify such recklessness?

Robert GoguenConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice

Mr. Speaker, we cannot put a price on protecting the public. Every government, be it the Government of Quebec or of any other province, must set priorities. This government's priority is to protect Canadians and put victims' rights first. That is what we promised to do and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, diversions and stalling tactics do not enhance public safety. Let us be serious for a moment. Police budgets have dropped close to the critical threshold. That is not my opinion. That is a fact according to the president of the Canadian Police Association.

How will reduced police services help enhance safety and protection in our communities?

Robert GoguenConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice

Mr. Speaker, obviously none of those statements are entirely true. Public protection is essential to Quebec and Canadian society, and we know that police officers have the resources they need. That is one of the reasons we introduced Bill C-10.

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government is committed to opening new markets for Canadian businesses to create jobs and prosperity for workers and their families in every region of our country. We are pursuing an ambitious broad-based plan with the aim of deepening our trade and investment tied with large, dynamic and high growth markets around the world, such as India.

Would the hard-working and passionate Minister of International Trade please share with the House how Canada's trade strategy is strengthening this important relationship with India?

Ed FastConservativeMinister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Calgary Northeast for his excellent work on the trade committee.

A free trade agreement with India is a key part of this government's job creating pro-trade plan. I led a trade mission to India a few months ago, and just yesterday spoke at the Brand India Expo.

With more than one million Canadians of Indian origin, our growing trade relationship shows how our people-to-people ties are building the Canada-India partnership. I am more convinced than ever that an exciting future awaits both of our countries. That is something all of us can celebrate.

Mr. Speaker, earlier in response to a question by the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister claimed that the plan in the NDP motion on drug shortages is already being done. If that were the case, why are the provinces, the territories and health professionals all calling for federal action and leadership? The NDP motion explicitly calls for leadership.

I ask the minister very directly, will the government support the NDP motion and will it take the immediate action prescribed in the motion, yes or no?

Leona AglukkaqConservativeMinister of Health and Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that patients and doctors have access to the information about potential drug shortages. However, the truth is there is no mandatory reporting requirements that could predict a fire that would shut down the production of critical drugs.

If Health Canada inspectors needed to shut down a plant for a violation, we can keep it open 90 days to meet the mandatory reporting requirements. Mandatory reporting is not a silver bullet for drug shortages. As long as there is one sole-source drug provider for all the provinces and territories, we remain at risk of shortages. We are going to support the provinces and territories in addressing the issue.

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely why a long-term plan by the federal government is needed.

The Minister of Health wants to dump her responsibilities on the provinces. She is acting as if the federal government had no role to play in this. However, as the minister knows, the federal government gives generous tax benefits every year to the pharmaceutical companies to help them boost their profits. What are those tax benefits worth?

In exchange for those gifts, can the Conservatives have the decency to put pressure on these pharmaceutical companies to have a sufficient inventory of drugs at all times and thus protect the health of Canadians?

Leona AglukkaqConservativeMinister of Health and Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Mr. Speaker, I trust that the NDP members are in the process of ironing out their differences of opinion regarding this issue. This is a serious matter.

Our government respects the role each jurisdiction plays. We are not in the business of stepping into provincial and territorial jurisdictions. I hope hon. members will join in this important debate this afternoon and work with us, not against us.

Mr. Speaker, a leaked document has revealed a new Conservative plan to attack the Fisheries Act. It shines light on the government's plan to gut important environmental protection.

Eliminating habitat protection will set us back decades, making it easier to ram through big industrial projects, like the Enbridge pipeline which we know will have a devastating impact on the environment.

I ask the minister again, is the Conservative government planning to gut the habitat fisheries, yes or no?